Accommodation suppliers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded university students
Accommodation suppliers urged to stop demanding deposit from NSFAS funded university students
Blog Article
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has urged landlords never to demand a deposit or top-up payment from NSFAS-funded students.
This arrives soon after NSFAS gained reports about some accommodation vendors who need NSFAS-funded students to pay a deposit or top-up payment so as to get access to the authorized private accommodation.
Friday, February 7, 2025
"NSFAS reminds accommodation providers with the compulsory conditions, as supplied by the Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement in between the non-public accommodation providers and NSFAS funded students," NSFAS stated in an announcement on Thursday.
The Standardised Fixed-Term Lease Agreement states which the lease will be paid every month to your accommodation company (lessor) by NSFAS, on behalf of the lessee (NSFAS funded student), in accordance using the NSFAS conditions and terms for personal accommodation vendors’ participation on the student accommodation portal.
"The lessor may not demand or allow the lessee to pay a deposit, top-up payments, or every other types of payment towards the lessor, or every other person in connection with this arrangement, together with payment of hire, when awaiting payment from NSFAS. The lessor shall don't have any recourse in opposition to the lessee for any default inside the payment of rent by NSFAS," the agreement reads.
The NSFAS terms and conditions for private accommodation providers’ participation on the student accommodation portal also states that: "Where the NSFAS-funded student is defunded on account of an incorrect decision by NSFAS, the scholar will not be chargeable for payment of any arrear rent on the accommodation provider, up right until the day of being defunded."
NSFAS defined that read more where the NSFAS-funded student chooses to continue occupying the leased premises, notwithstanding being defunded by NSFAS, the student are going to be responsible for payment of rent for the lessor in the date of currently being defunded.
"Where the student is defunded by NSFAS due to a misrepresentation by the lessee/guardian at any stage, the check here student must immediately vacate the leased property; and will be liable for payment of all rent due to the accommodation provider.
"Where the student moves, accommodation providers without the click here prior approval of NSFAS, NSFAS may elect not to pay any rental to the new accommodation provider, and click here any such rental payments will be for the student own account," the scheme said.
The scheme emphasised that any dispute arising between the parties regarding the interpretation or implementation of the nsfas document submission deadline agreement, must be dealt with in accordance with any dispute resolution procedure determined by NSFAS for this purpose.
From: SAnews.gov.za